"Is there a spillover effect in multiperspectivity regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict among Israeli and Palestinian undergraduate students that results from playing a social impact game about a different conflictual context? We examined whether playing Fact Finders (Cyprus conflict) and Peac
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eMaker (Israeli-Palestinian conflict) in a different order and whether playing only one of the two games impacts multiperspectivity regarding these conflicts. 203 Israeli and Palestinian students participated in a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design. Israelis and Palestinians playing Fact Finders first developed significantly more multiperspectivity on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, than those playing PeaceMaker first. In addition, Israelis playing only Fact Finders developed significantly higher multiperspectivity regarding the Cyprus conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, unlike those playing only PeaceMaker. This is the first time multiperspectivity for direct parties to the conflict is observed for the Israeli/Palestinian conflict through digital games. Moreover, this is the first study to indicate a spillover effect in multiperspectivity from a different conflictual context to one’s own context. This research adds to our understanding of the effects of social impact games, suggesting that the multiperspectivity effect of the aforementioned games may extend well beyond a specific conflictual context." (Abstract)
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"Efforts to support the resolution of armed conflicts through the facilitation of peace negotiations and dialogues increasingly involve digital technologies. While traditionally perceived as a human-centered activity, peace mediation now commonly entails information- and data-driven methods to enhan
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ce talks, support the analysis of conflict stakeholder needs and interests, and ground mediation efforts in better evidence. Digital technologies also promise to make peace efforts more future-oriented by helping to predict or anticipate upcoming developments, build scenarios, and increase readiness for emerging challenges. However, little is known about how such methods can be employed in dialogue and negotiation settings, where participants may have subjective and incompatible views on the conflict context, and more data and evidence don’t necessarily help to determine what a more peaceful future could look like. Through a qualitative study of the use of digitally enhanced dialogue efforts in Yemen and Libya, we demonstrate that future-oriented peacemaking requires the balancing of ‘sincere’ technology affordances that encourage an engagement with the past and present reality of conflict, with ‘subjunctive’ technology affordances that encourage an engagement with possible futures that are more peaceful. In practice, this requires combining data- and evidence-generating methods concerned with the world ‘as is’ with data analysis and visualization methods concerned with how the world ‘should’ or ‘could’ be. Our findings haveimplications for the study of digital methods in the facilitation of contentious political processes where the provision of data and evidence may create hurting deadlocks." (Abstract)
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"The EU’s conflict early warning system is a good example of how to integrate quantitative risk forecasting with traditional diplomatic and intelligence analyses to support the prevention of violent conflict. The system holds important lessons for other multi-method and multi-source early warning
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processes, even beyond conflict prevention – for example to analyse foreign influencing operations and critical economic dependencies. The system’s weak spot is the lack of mechanisms to ensure sustained preventive action. To bridge this gap, the EU should consider anticipatory action protocols with stronger follow-up mechanisms and dedicated funding. Upgrades of the warning system should include complementary foresight methods to detect developments that are hard to predict with current data models, more structured qualitative assessments, and thorough evaluation of preventive instruments." (Summary)
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"In modern warfare, digitalization has blurred the line where civilian ends and military begins. Embedded in the participative warfare theoretical paradigm, this article looks into how the information and communication technologies (ICT) enable civic resilience under the conditions of the foreign ar
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med aggression. Specifically, the authors explore how smartphones and smartphone applications empowered the Ukrainian civil society in the aftermath of the Russian full-scale invasion of 2022. Based on an online survey and semi-structured interviews, the article highlights how the device and its features not only allowed civilians to adapt to living in conditions of
a constant threat, but also to respond and support the defence from the rear. The authors conclude that, while the smartphone becomes an ‘online resilience hub’, acquiring many new functions like a mobile office, an online volunteer (frontline logistics and procurement) hub, an air-threat warner, a first-hand news source and so on, its security provision functions are not unconditional and may turn to the opposite, depending on the physical circumstances on the ground as well as the virtual information battlefield." (Abstract)
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"This collection considers how digital images and social media reconfigure the way conflicts are played out, represented and perceived around the globe. Devoted to developing original theoretical frameworks and empirical insights, the volume addresses the role of user images and social media in rela
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tion to urgent subjects such as public opinion and emotion, solidarity, evidence and verification, censorship and fake news, which are all central to the ways current conflicts are represented and unfold. Essays include a unique range of case studies from different regional and political contexts (Middle East, Europe, Asia, North America) and in connection with different conflict types (war, terror, riots, everyday resistance, etc.). They also consider performative genres such as memes, selfies and appropriations as well as images conforming to the realism and authenticity of conventional photojournalism. In this way, the collection responds to the challenges of swiftly evolving image genres as well as to the continually shifting policies and algorithms of commercial digital platforms." (Publisher description)
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"In contexts where young people feel prohibited from reflecting openly on sensitive political issues, they may explore alternative ways to communicate and negotiate their opinions and beliefs. Internet memes are popular digital artifacts that offer a space for such debates. This research focuses on
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the Internet memes that were created and used as an unconventional method for discussing post-genocide peacebuilding processes among Rwandan youth. These memes were made in storytelling workshops that involved interacting with transmedia projects and creating stories about peacebuilding and reconciliation processes in Rwanda, Guatemala and Cambodia. Within this context, this study approaches memes as participatory tools that allow (1) youth inclusion in post-genocide peacebuilding, often considered an ‘adult topic’ and (2) the mapping out of the social imaginaries of peace by young people in post-genocide societies. The paper analyzes how and why young Rwandans negotiate peacebuilding processes through memes and the ambivalence of utilizing memes for youth participation. The results suggest that meme-making emerged mainly as a response to intergenerational differences in discussing the genocide and peace-related issues. Humor in the memes unveiled differences in the ways of addressing peacebuilding processes. Detachment from other contexts resulted in more sarcastic articulations, whereas proximity led to more positive reflections on how peacebuilding should unfold in post-genocide societies. While meme-making proved to be useful for sparking discussions and manifesting imaginaries of peace, it also showed how certain dominant discourses about peacebuilding processes are embraced and often not contested within memes due to self-censorship." (Abstract)
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"Since October 2016, Cameroon has been involved in a violent conflict known as the Anglophone Crisis. This study examines the impact of the hashtag #MyAnglophoneCrisisStory on Twitter in capturing and amplifying the stories of people affected by the crisis. Using R, the authors extracted and analyze
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d tweets using this hashtag that were posted between 21 October 2020 and 3 November 2020. Only tweets posted in English and French languages were included. To understand the content of the tweets, the authors inductively coded and manually analyzed a total of 1064 tweets, replies, and comments. A categorical analysis revealed the presence of three different types of tweets: ‘Story’, ‘Response to Story’, and ‘Awareness and Advocacy’. The ‘Story’ category had four distinct themes: (1) Senseless Loss of Life: Shot and Killed; (2) The Disappeared: Lost and Kidnapped; (3) On the Move/Elusive Safety: Escape, Displacement; and (4) Prevention and Trauma, Mental Health, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This study supports the concept that even short tweets can have a significant impact and signals the need for more attention and research on this overlooked conflict. Future work can involve the use of more advanced analysis tools to conduct a more thorough examination of tweets." (Abstract)
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"The aim of this Open Science and Peacebuilding Toolkit is to provide an open, living collection of resources for innovation hubs operating in conflict or post-conflict environments, creating a joint framework for open science and peacebuilding in action. It seeks to enable makerspaces across the wo
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rld to contribute to sustainable development by becoming key players in creating circular economy structures. The toolkit is an open source document. It provides resources appropriate to communities at various levels of development and supports innovators in a range of sectors & throughout the entrepreneurial life cycle." (Introd, page 3)
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"This study discusses how and to what extent peace operations are affected by digital disinformation and how international organisations (UN, EU, OSCE and NATO) as mandating bodies for peace operations have responded to limit the effect of disinformation or even prevent it. Based on this assessment
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of the current situation, the study identifies areas in need of action and suggests options for peace operations. These focus on four areas [Situational awareness; Response; Resilience; Cooperation] and include both short- and long-term measures." (Introduction)
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"Many mediators and peacebuilders are interested in using information about actors and narratives on social media to inform programming. Our starting assumption is that users of this toolkit do not have the resources to either hire a specialist social media analysis firm or to pay for commercial soc
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ial media analysis tools. Therefore, this toolkit is a practical how-to guide for mediators and peacebuilders who want to conduct their own social media analysis, offering an overview of what is possible, a practical guide to a handful of technology tools, and suggestions on analysis methods. The toolkit is also a why-to guide, offering ideas on what programming social media analysis can inform and when it is worth investing resources in this kind of analysis. The toolkit is structured in three sections:
Section 1 outlines what it is possible to do with social media data. It covers how to select the social media platforms on which to conduct analysis and explains what data it is possible to gather from each platform. It also offers three main use cases for social media analysis that can support the work of peacebuilders and mediators, explaining the kind of insights we can glean from social media data, and how they connect to relevant programming.
Section 2 outlines in detail how to work with Facebook and Twitter data. It includes how to come up with search parameters, how to decide whether to download data or view it in a search tool, how to access data from Facebook and Twitter, and how to organise data that has been collected. It also looks at analysis methods to find patterns in this data that can help peacebuilders and mediators understand what is the general narrative (netnography or narrative analysis), what people are talking about most and how (quantitative analysis), what is the tone and emotion of a narrative (sentiment analysis), and who is talking about what with whom (network analysis).
Section 3 offers case studies of social media analysis conducted to support peacebuilding or mediation programs. The case studies connect to the previous sections, illustrating how the methods and tools outlined are used in practice in our fields." (Introduction)
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"This research report explores the strengths and weaknesses of four different frameworks tech companies, governments, and civil society can use to assess harms and benefits of new technologies. The four frameworks include human rights, conflict sensitivity, ethics, and human security. The research m
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ethodology involved interviews among diverse stakeholders in technology and civil society sectors. This research contributes policy recommendations for developing practical, operationalizable guidance that could have an immediate impact on tech companies’ work in countries or regions at risk of human rights abuses and violent conflict." (Abstract)
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"This chapter explores digital drivers of conflict. We examine how technologies are affecting conflict dynamics and what peacebuilders can do to mitigate these effects. We argue that because digital technologies are fundamentally altering the human experience, they are by extension fundamentally alt
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ering conflicts. We propose a framework for understanding the impact of technology on conflict, and for categorising different types of peacebuilding interventions. Together, these interventions contribute to the emerging field of digital peacebuilding." (Abstract)
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"This paper begins by describing hybrid information ecosystems and their role in sustained peace processes. Public interest news media is essential for democratic decision-making and successful peace processes. Digital media interacts with legacy media, such as radio, television, and newspapers. Ult
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imately, solutions require supporting both online and offline public interest news media. Next the paper maps digital risks. Both state and non-state political actors are weaponizing tech platforms which by their very design tend to amplify divisive and antagonistic content. The digital space can dramatically increase risks by enabling the rapid spread of false information aimed at undermining an election or referendum. Digital risks likely outweigh the current contributions of the digital space to peace, as illustrated in a variety of case studies in this paper. Digital risks to sustained public peace processes likely outweigh the current contributions of the digital space to peace. This brief then reviews how digital tools and spaces can contribute to sustained public peace processes. This section explores conflict analysis, information ecosystem analysis, planning interventions, and a review of the types of digital tech tools and approaches useful for peace processes. New digital forms of communication can scale public inclusion and improve efficiencies in peace processes. Digital spaces can transform how people share information and communicate with one another. Digital spaces can offer more inclusive and equitable avenues for participation and can incentivize the development of policy options. The final section of the paper identifies trade-offs and dilemmas, practical strategies for analysing and intervening in digital spaces, and policy recommendations to governments, tech companies and civil society groups on a variety of themes." (Introduction)
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"This book explores case studies across India, Kenya, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, and global, comparative settings, and asks what positive impact ICT applications (Health Information Systems, Pandemic response systems, Early Warning and Response Systems, Hospital Information System and Smartphone based Ap
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ps) can have on today’s most pressing challenges. The authors use this lens to discuss a wide range of issues facing communities around the world, including public health and pandemic management; the mitigation of ethnic violence and violence against women; the emergence of an informal economy; and the displacement of refugees. The case studies are analyzed through a wide means-process-ends framework, which is complemented with micro-level observations of people’s experience, such as empowerment, agility and trust within communities. This interplay between the macro framework and micro concepts helps us to understand how and why digital interventions can contribute to positive outcomes, and which stories of hope may inspire other development channels." (Back cover)
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"The overall objective of this UNESCO project is to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content spread online, in particular hate speech inciting violence while protecting freedom of expression and enhancing the promotion of peace through digital technologies, notably socia
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l media. The project runs from January 2021 - December 2023. There are four (4) pilot countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Indonesia, and Kenya. The lessons learnt at the local level will feed-in for the global discussion at the international level." (Publisher description)
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